The difference between cellulite and cellulitis

Cellulitis vs cellulite

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• Cellulitis vs cellulite: the confusion between the two

• Europeans quite often use the term ‘cellulitis’ to refer to ‘cellulite’

• What is common between ‘cellulite’ and ‘cellulitis’? The role of dermis, hypodermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue.

• Erysipelas vs cellulitis: the differences

• Summary & more info

• Check our professional consultancy in radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening

Cellulite vs cellulitis: the confusion between the two

Cellulite is fat accumulation in the hypodermis (the deepest skin layer) and is typically characterised by chronic, low grade inflammation and fibrosis (like a lot of adipose tissue does). However, this is just an aesthetic condition and not health threatening or an actual disease per se.

Cellulitis, on the other hand, is a bacterial infection of the hypodermis. It manifests as diffuse redness on the surface of the skin, it can be health threatening and it usually has to be treated by antibiotics.

Given the names are quite similar, it is no surprise that there is quite a confusion sometimes between the two.

Europeans quite often use the term ‘cellulitis’ to refer to ‘cellulite’

Quite a few European people use the term ‘cellulitis’ to refer to the aesthetic condition of ‘cellulite’, especially people from France, Spain and Italy, when speaking/searching in the English language.

In Greece, in particular, the exact same term (‘κυτταρίτιδα’), translating as ‘cellulitis’ is used for both conditions.

In other European and South American countries there is also similar confusion.

What is common between ‘cellulite’ and ‘cellulitis’? The role of dermis, hypodermis and subcutaneous adipose tissue.

Although cellulite and cellulitis are two quite different conditions, they have one thing in common: the both mainly affect the hypodermis, i.e. the deepest skin layer.

Quite often the terms ‘deep dermis’ and/or ‘subcutaneous fat’ are used to erroneously refer to the hypodermis. However, ‘dermis’, ‘hypodermis’ and ‘subcutaneous adipose tissue’ are three anatomically distinct tissue layers, with dermis being more superficial, hypodermis deeper and subcutaneous fat even deeper.

More superficial cellulite can also affect the second and deepest dermis layer, the ‘reticular dermis’. Cellulitis can also affect that skin layer.

And cellulite is a name also used to erroneously refer to the ‘subcutaneous adipose tissue’ (SAT), while that is not actual cellulite per se. Cellulitis can also infect that layer (in fact, cellulitis can spread even deeper, into the muscles).

With all those overlaps in terminology it is not wonder that many people are confused, not only between ‘cellulite’ and ‘cellulitis’, but also about the anatomical position of each condition itself.

D=Dermis, affected by erysipelas

SC=Deep dermis, affected by cellulite and by cellulitis

DC=Hypodermis, affected by cellulite and by cellulitis

SAT=Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue, affected by cellulitis

Erysipelas vs cellulitis: the differences

Depending on where a bacterial infection is located, it may be called ‘erysipelas’ and ‘cellulitis’.

The term ‘erysipelas’ refers to the bacterial infection of the dermis (uppermost skin layer). On the other hand, ‘cellulitis’ refers to the infection of the deeper tissues, from reticular dermis all the way to even the muscles.

While cellulitis typically appears as diffuse redness, erysipelas typically appears as more distinctly marked redness, with raised edges.

Summary & more info

There is no point going into further detail on those two conditions, as this is not a medical website and here we only deal with the aesthetic condition of ‘cellulite’.

But suffice to say here that cellulite is dermal and hypodermal fat accumulation, while cellulitis is hypodermal, subcutaneous and even intramuscular bacterial infection. Erysipelas is dermal bacterial infections.

You can read more on the bacterial infections of ‘erysipelas’ and ‘cellulitis’ at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK303996/ or any good medical website.

And if you are interested to know more about ‘cellulite’, you can find more than 100 articles at https://www.lipotherapeia.com/beachy-legs-home.

Check our professional consultancy in radiofrequency, ultrasound cavitation, cellulite and skin tightening

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